Recruit 1,146 assistant profs as per order issued by AIADMK government, says Madras HC
CHENNAI: In a big relief to the guest lecturers of govt arts and science colleges battling to get their services regularised, the Madras HC has ordered the state government to resume the process for recruiting the 1,146 assistant professors as per the 2020 government order while quashing a part of the G.O. issued in 2022 notifying 4,000 vacancies.
The department of higher education issued a G.O. in March 21, 2020 to recruit 1,146 assistant professors by absorbing eligible guest lecturers. The selection process could not be completed due to the intervention of the 2021 Assembly polls.
After the regime change, the department issued another G.O. in November 8, 2022 to recruit 4,000 assistant professors by including the 1,146 vacancies, thereby dropping the earlier selection process and changing the selection method. Aggrieved by the order, the Tamil Nadu Government College Guest Lecturers Welfare Association and individual guest lecturers approached the high court.
Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan, in a recent order, said all the guest lecturers should have been recruited in a transparent manner by following due procedure and such procedure cannot be stopped abruptly at the stage of interview, that too, after certificate verification.
“The impugned order of 2022 granting permission for recruitment of 4,000 posts including 1,146 posts earmarked for regular absorption of guest lecturers, is arbitrary, illegal and against the law for the reason that in order to fill up the posts by direct recruitment following the new method of selection, 1,146 vacancies earmarked for eligible guest lecturers cannot be added in the impugned order of 2022,” the judge said in the order.
He quashed the impugned order of 2022 in so far as it ordered to notify the 1,146 vacancies which were earmarked for eligible guest lecturers.